How much do Philadelphians know about Pittsburgh? (Reading, York: home, law school)

[NorthDeKalb]

I've noticed several discussions regarding Pittsburgh's association with both the Midwest and Northeast regions, which prompted me to ask a couple of my friends in Philly what they know about Pittsburgh. When asked (via phone), my friend in South Philly said "Pittsburgh, what's in Pittsburgh." I responded "it's only a few hours from Philly, you've never been?" "No, never" he responded. Do these cities march to the beat of different drums or what- which brings me to my question:

How much do Philadelphians really know about Pittsburgh?

Since my friends certainly can't speak for the entire MSA, I'm curious to know if other Philadelphians are familiar with Pittsburgh. Has the average Philadelphian actually visited Pittsburgh at one point or another? I would assume that most city nerds would've made that trip at least once just to check things out, but what about normal people?

[toobusytoday]

Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are 6 hours away. I've lived in Pennsylvania for 25 years and only visited Pittsburgh once, but not because I didn't want to see it, but because it's a long drive. I thought it was a really interesting city.

[kidphilly]

I would agree, a cool place but seems so damn far

[ElijahAstin]

I grew up in Lower Merion, and am currently finishing up my undergraduate education at Pitt. Pittsburgh is awful as a touristy city, but great as a place to live. There's a lot to do here at a reasonable price. Ultimately, I prefer Philadelphia's more cosmopolitan environment, but if I get a good job offer from Reed Smith or K&L Gates post-law school, I'd consider settling there.

Also, I would not consider Philly and Pittsburgh in "direct competition." The size and cultural orientation of the cities are too different. Both are great places in their own ways.

[FamousBlueRaincoat]

I grew up near Reading, PA. I had been to Philadelphia dozens of times for dozens of reasons. I went to Pittsburgh twice, for baseball games. Once in the old park, once in the new. The second time I was there we stayed downtown. I thought it was a pretty interesting city that has its own character. It took a long time to get there, though.

I went to Minneapolis for college, and when considering where to move to after college, we kept Pittsburgh in mind. But because my family still lives much closer to Philadelphia, plus Philadelphia's size and ability to live without a car (although I hear Pittsburgh has pretty decent public transit) we chose Philadelphia.

I just moved to Philadelphia a couple of months ago. And I made the car ride from Minneapolis to Philadelphia. And really, what it comes down to, even now after I'm adult and am much more patient: after you see the Pittsburgh exit signs on the turnpike or on I-80, it's still a really, really long drive to Philadelphia.

Ultimately, it's a matter of distance. Philadelphia is close to New York, Washington DC, and Baltimore. And it's in the same corridor/megalopolis/general region as Boston. Those are usually the cities that are on people's mind here. Growing up in SE PA, we could go to New York, Baltimore, or Philadelphia and come home the same day. Pittsburgh required staying overnight.


Megabus runs a route from Philly to Pittsburgh, and I am definitely planning to take a day or two-day trip there and get to see more of it, particularly since I can sleep on the very long bus ride.

[bryson662001]

I went to Pitts once to see the Warhol museum when it was new. I was on my way home from Chicago and detoured. That was before I moved to Philly from NY. Honestly no one here in Philly gives a thought to Pitts good or bad. It might just as well be Omaha to us.

[kidphilly]

I wonder if one differenace is that people in Philly think Pittsburgh is really far where I am not sure if the opposite is felt, maybe it is.

I agree on the earlier statement, that a few cities are more top of mind due to proximity and size, but again on my few trips to Pittsburgh, I have always liked it.

[toobusytoday]

I do'nt know if it's as off the map as Omaha, but it is a lot further then NYC or Boston. I'm sure Pittsburgh people feel the same way about Philadelphia.

[NorthDeKalb]

For some odd reason, I only thought they were maybe 3 hours apart from one another, didn't realize it was a 6 hour drive.

That is pretty far, even for me.

Pittsburgh seems like a pretty cool place though from the images that I've seen, so I would like to go at some point.

[kidphilly]

Originally Posted by ATL_Aficionado

For some odd reason, I only thought they were maybe 3 hours apart from one another, didn't realize it was a 6 hour drive.

That is pretty far, even for me.

Pittsburgh seems like a pretty cool place though from the images that I've seen, so I would like to go at some point.

Google says 5:15, I have heard people say they can do it about 4.5 hours, but to me that is pretty far, I can be to NYC, Boston, Baltimore, DC, Many many beaches and moutains, the chesepeake etc etc etc

I think maybe moreso than other regions a four hour drive seems very long up here


Philadelphia, PA to Pittsburgh, PA - Google Maps